Thursday, January 31, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 1/31/13. How does TNA handle in the UK? Let's find out and begin.

Match #1: Magnus vs Devon

We open up the show by having Kaz and Christopher Daniels remind us that they are bad guys and need to piss off the countrymen. Bad Influence looked like Mel Gibson in Braveheart, except more gay. Magnus makes his return and tells them to get lost. Since the Brit found a couple of American cowards, he deals with an uninteresting stable. It was apparent for Magnus to get some revenge against the Aces and Eights, so this comes as no surprise. The match falls pretty flat, but that's what Devon brings to the table. The finish comes when Card Games interrupt the match, thus resulting in a DQ. Is it in Aces and Eights' contract to not win matches? The opening was all over the place. You have Daniels and Kaz talking about the world title and mocking Brits, then you have a Brit challenge somebody else. It feels a bit crowded, but I didn't mind the Magnus/Bad Influence interaction. It was at least entertaining.

Winner via DQ: Magnus

Match #2: Joseph Park vs Robbie E

Once again, Joseph seems to have suffered some memory loss. He claims this is his first OFN, but can't seem to remember that whole deal with Bully Ray last year. Either that or he's lying about everything. Hey, at least he's living up to the lawyer gimmick. Just as Joseph is about to make his decision, Robbie E interrupts to insult Joseph as a competitor. Robbie E whips Joseph's notebook with his ass. That notebook is gonna smell like beer, broken condoms, and garbage. In a boring match, Joseph wins by killing Robbie E with a Flying Dad Bomb. Looks like Joseph got that, 'W' and not one single f*** was given. I've lost so much interest in the Joseph Park character. Will this character really mean anything six months from now? I'm curious to know how other think of this character.

Winner via pinfall: Joseph Park

Match #3: Austin Aries vs Chavo Guerrero

If Aries wins this match for his team, they will get a tag title shot. Bobby wanted to compete against the small guy, but Aries claims that he has this in the bag. You know what's sad? Aries pulls off a better Frog Splash than Chavo. Sigh….I miss Eddie. Thanks to a distraction, Aries is able to hit the Brainbuster for the victory. Aries and Roode will get a tag title shot down the road. I am NOT the tag team champions!!! No, IIIIIII am NOT the tag team champions!!!

Winner via pinfall: Austin Aries

I love how a 'suspended' Bully Ray still manages to be on the show every week. Bully and Brooke arrive and demand for Hulk to reinstate Bully. Sting also comes out to…

Seriously, that's what they're doing. Hulk finally comes out and reinstates his son-in-law. Hulk reminds us that he always does the right thing, so he's here to do the right thing on top of the right thing. Did I mentioned he wanted to do the right thing? Geeze, did Hulk have a stroke in the middle of this promo? He also books Bully and Sting to go against Aces and Eights in a Tables match, which will happen next week. So, the Bully is back…..Even though he was there the whole time. I really don't want to talk about this storyline anymore. You know how I feel about it, so we're moving on. Once again, Samoa Joe can't seem to accept Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco. Oh, I'll get to THIS later in the review. I will add that Joe was taken out earlier in the night, thus not being present for the cage match. Either Card Games took him out or he passed out after eating a pie.

Match #4: Velvet Sky and James Storm vs Tara and Jesse

Wow, how the mighty have fallen. Storm goes from main event feud, to nearly being the #1 Contender, to replacing AJ Styles in a feud that needed to be shot in the backyard, to working a KO match. The finish comes when Velvet hits a finisher for the victory. Storm goes back to his hotel room and takes a looooooooonnnnnnnnng look at his life.

Winner via pinfall: Velvet Sky and James Storm

Dixie Carter announces that after the TNA Lockdown PPV, TNA will be going on the road full-time. All I can say is that it's about damn time. This should've happened years ago. Finally, we'll stop listening to the worst audience in wrestling history. The shows just have more energy when they're out of the Impact Zone. Going off-topic, I should note that TNA is playing the Jeff Hardy attack from last week as an injury angle. In reality, Hardy is unable to travel outside of the United States because of probation. Yes, the TNA world champion doesn't exist because of Hardy's screw ups. Have I mentioned how awesome it is that Hardy is the world champion? Oh, there's that sarcasm again.

Match #5: Kurt Angle vs Mr. Anderson; Steel Cage match

Anderson looks like a bum in that A&8 get-up. Why do I get the feeling Anderson will still be wearing this five years from now while he's waiting for his check in the unemployment line? This was a pretty good match. The finish comes when Kurt makes Anderson tap out to the Ankle Lock. Joining up with Aces and Eights was the 'best' thing Anderson ever did, am I right? After the match, an Aces and Eights member climbs the cage to attack Kurt. Angle gets the idea to have Wes lock the two of them inside the cage. It turns out the person was Garett Bischoff. Wes plays dumb for a while, but finally drops the act and reveals they're both in the stable. The show ends with the two taking out Kurt. I'm guessing Kurt pissed off the entire TNA locker room. Why didn't anybody save him? Well, might as well get this out of the way…

Who am I kidding? Everybody called that crap. This really feels like half-assed writing. I realize TNA was hinting this for the past two weeks through Joe's paranoia, but why didn't this happen months ago? I think it would've made this scene important if Joe kept talking about how he didn't trust Garett and Brisco for months. Instead, TNA does it for the last two weeks and now we're supposed to give a s***? Not only is that poor writing, but it's poor planning. TNA had a match at Final Resolution where Garett and Brisco could've turned then. Why did we have to wait until now to turn these guys? I know people will argue that they wanted to build up Garett and Wes' credibility. I would be willing to accept that, but here's why I think that argument is bulls***. From Final Resolution until now, what impression have Garett and Brisco made during that time? For the most part, nothing. So, let's summarize. This is a turn that should've happened months ago AND the build up to the turn was poorly done since there was no build to it. Oh, and did I mention the acting for this scene sucked? I love how Kurt doesn't act shocked when his friends betray him. Yeah, so I'm not a big fan of this scene. I'm sorry, but this reveal was done in the laziest way possible. You're supposed to build these things up. If you don't, it means nothing in the long run. It isn't like Garett and Brisco have a giant list on credentials to make these surprise turns. They're just plain green, so a turn like this isn't that big of a shock. Perhaps I'm being a little harsh on this whole thing. At least the turn finally happened. Better late than never. And who knows? Maybe Garett and Brisco can find a real comfort zone by working as bad guys? In fact, Wes looks like he can play a great heel. He definitely has the look of an asshole, so I think that's a start. I didn't like how the turn happened since it was written up in the laziest way possible, but there are a few positives with this move. Only time will tell with how this turn will mean anything as Card Games continues to run a muck.

Winner via submission: Kurt Angle

Overall Impression:

I have some mixed views on the show. One thing I liked about the show was the audience. Once again, the UK does a damn good job in trying to make the show stand out. This is an energetic audience that's really passionate about wrestling. The UK might be my favorite audience because of what they bring to a show. While the show featured a ton of energy, TNA didn't put together one of the better episodes. The matches were a mixed bag and so were the progression of their storylines. The big turn that happened was Garett and Wes turning heel. Is it really THAT big of surprise? I personally don't think so. It's possible the move will mean something down the road, but this turn just adds to the issues I already had with Aces and Eights. The reveals have been pretty disappointing and this stable has very sporadic success. They can take out people, but hold a worthless championship and continue to lose. How is this stable a threat again? There's always a chance this storyline could get better, but I really just want this Aces and Eights to be over and done with. I just don't think there's a big enough name to make me care about this stable. And don't give me that crap that Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett would be big names. They've been speculated since day one. That's not good enough in my book. I mentioned months ago that somebody like John Morrison would be a semi-big name. That would be a shocking moment, but I could see that excitement fall because of Morrison's promo skills. That's hard to say, but who really knows at the end of the day. Well, I think that's all I can deal with for tonight. The show wasn't bad or good. It just falls in the average territory. It's at least worth a look, but it may not hold you for very long. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Monday, January 28, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 1/28/13. What is the Royal Rumble aftermath? Let's find out and begin.

We open up the show with CM Punk. He is pissed off that he lost the championship last night and refuses to let anybody celebrate the Rock's championship victory. He claims Vince screwed him over at the RR and this will be known as the Phoenix Screwjob. Yeah, I think Punk's taking the championship lose rather well, don't you think? Vince quickly interrupts and claims he has proof Punk is working with the Shield, but will wait until later in the night when evaluating Heyman's job. Ahh, good old padding.

Match #1: Antonio Cesaro vs Randy Orton

Because of the Raw Roulette rules, this match will have a special referee. Well, it turns out to be the Miz. Yeah, cuz that sounds fair. I really liked this match. I mentioned in the SD review that an Antonio/Randy rivalry would be pretty interesting if done right. I hope we get one down the road. The finish comes when Antonio argues with the Miz because of his officiating. Randy uses this assist to hit the RKO for the victory. I still wonder why Randy is still playing face. He just clicks better as a natural heel. Not only that, but you think you would get another heel turn since Del Rio and Miz have turned face. After the match, Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale. This will continue to pad the rivalry for their eventual rematch. Hopefully, they can go a step above the pre-show and aim higher…..Like WWE Superstars. Now you're in the big time.

Winner via pinfall: Randy Orton

It's time for Ryback and the Prime Time Players to tell us some jokes….

No, I'm just kidding. Nothing in this bit was funny. Ryback took out Matt Striker with the Shell Shock. Hey, that actually was pretty funny.

Match #2: Wade Barrett vs Bo Dallas

Wade got to pick his opponent, so decided to pick the NXT rookie. Wade is about to hit the Bullhammer, but Dallas hits a slam to pick up a quick pinfall. Wow, he's not even two months into his IC title reign and he's already losing to rookies? What is this 'Barrett Barrage' I keep hearing about? I feel like it was a figment of my imagination. The IC title really is the belt WWE gives you if they aren't sure what to do with you. Well, I guess something like this helps out Bo. I didn't get to talk about my thoughts on the guy, so I'll do that know. For the most part, I'm really not that impressed with his look. He looks about as generic as you're gonna get. I guess WWE went a little overboard with the cookie cutter. Well, those are my early impressions on the guy. We shall see what else he has to offer down the road.

Match #3: John Cena vs Cody Rhodes

So being inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame is….Bob Backlund again? What's the next announcement? Cactus Jack? Yeah, I know they were just playing the video again, but that seemed a little odd. I guess the editing staff really liked their video montage of Mr. Backlund. I should mention that Trish Stratus was revealed as the third entrant in the 2013 HOF. I have absolutely have no objections to this. She was one of the best. Not only did Cena win the match with his traditional move-set, he even does a superhero pose at the end. Look!!! They're showing the pose in slow motion!!! I'm not making this up. I'm almost expecting Cena to give us a sparkling smile. I love how Cody tried to run away from this match. It's like he knew that he was gonna fall victim to the most predictable move-set in wrestling history. After the match, Cena cuts a promo in either getting an easy victory or going up against two guys he has struggled with (Punk and Rock). Wow, Cena. You kinda come off as a dick by basically saying he could basically take Del Rio's WHC anytime he feels like it, but I digress. By the way, keep a mental note of Cena challenging either Rock or Punk at WM 29. This will be very key for later in the show. The Shield arrives to take out Cena since he served the injustice of not reaching the quota for his T-shirt sales. Sheamus and Ryback arrive at separate times to help Cena, but Shield takes them both down. Team work? What's that? I'm sure this is the match being set up for Elimination Chamber. It seems about the right time for another Shield match. You can only get away with random attacks for so long.

Winner via superhero pose: John Cena

Time for WWE to eat up the clock in the worst way possible. Looks like you will finally get a Lingerie Pillow Fight, but it turns out to be Tensai vs Brodus Clay. Since WWE saw the potential lawsuits from Parents of America, they spun the wheel again and it turns out to be a Dance Off. Brodus doing a Dance off? Yeah, that's uh…..Quite a stretch. Brodus was supposed to tell Tensai about the new stipulation, but he didn't deliver the memo in time. What we have is an overweight, Japanese-wannabe in a dress. After that, the two start to dance. What was the point of this segment? Actually, I think I figured it out. WWE was using this time to create a new tag team with some of the biggest flops of 2012. They will be forever known as Failed Fatties.

Match #4: Alberto Del Rio vs Big Show; Body Slam Challenge

Del Rio is convinced anything can happen in Vegas, thus giving you false hope that he could somehow pull this off. What ends up happening is Show being extremely pissed off and basically murders Ricardo and Del Rio, but only with the help of duct tape. Duct tape again? I think I just figured out Show's WM rivalry. Forget my Show/Booker T idea I pitched a few weeks go. Show vs Duct Tape is the true WM 29 main event. It would be the greatest match ever!!! It appears that Show/Del Rio will end up getting another match before the rivalry concludes. I'm almost expecting Dolph to cash in the MITB at EC, but we'll save that discussion for another day.

No Contest

Match #5: Kaitlyn vs Tamina; Lumberjill match

Okay….What did I miss?

No Contest?

The Rock comes out to talk about winning the WWE Championship and ending Punk's reign until Punk interrupts. Punk basically stats that Rocky didn't earn that championship since it was handed to him. Tear down that kayfabe wall!!! After the two continue to argue back and forth, Rock wants Punk to get in the ring and prove he's still the 'champ'. Punk declines since he wants to do things on his terms. In other words, it will be Rock vs Punk 2 at EC. I would've liked this announcement….If Cena hadn't spoiled the damn thing earlier in the night. Opps? It completely takes the fun of the announcement, but I guess it was just a matter of time. I would like to think Rock/Punk 2 will be a better match. After all the bulls*** overbooking last night, I expect them to just deliver a good match without too many puppet strings. Hey, I can at least be hopeful about this possibility. The promo segment between the two was pretty good. I think Punk had just a little more to offer, but Rock wasn't too shabby.

Match #6: Damien Sandow vs Sheamus; Tables match

Let me ask an honest question. How many times have we seen a Damien/Sheamus match in the past 2-3 months? I like their matches, but it just seems like WWE's answer for giving Sheamus another victory. Was nobody else available? This was a fair tables match. Sheamus wins this match by sending Sandow through the table. Damien lost the match on purpose since he didn't find it elegant enough for his tasting.

Winner: Sheamus

We now prep for a karaoke segment involving Hornswoggle, Kh-STOP!!! I think I know what the creative staff did after the show. They took all the crystal meth they could find and ended up writing this. How else can you explain a dance off, karaoke, and that divas match? I know WWE is gonna have bad segments. Hell, pro wrestling has had stupid segments for decades, but how in the world do you get this many terrible segments in one show? I know you're attempting comedy, but you need actual comedy for this to work. If you don't have the comedy, what are you performing? I love how the commentators apologize for these segments. Even they know it's s***. Okay, I think I got that out of my system…..Let's continue.

Match #7: Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler vs Team Hell No

Oh, save me Y2J. SAVE ME!!! Well, he does the best he can. Jericho plays up the crowd until Dolph Ziggler interrupts. After a couple of jokes that were pretty entertaining. See, this is comedy done right!! Good comedy!!! It's funny!!! LOL!!! LOL!!! Okay….I….I think I'm good now. Anyway, Vickie Guerrero informs us that she signed Jericho to a new contract. It will be interesting to see how they write off/bring back Jericho from future vacations, but we'll wait and see. The wheel spins and it lands on Strange Bedfellows. I thought that meant AJ was gonna have a live orgy in the middle of the ring, but apparently not. The match forces two people who cannot get along with each other to work together in a tag match. During the match, Bryan and Kane have another moment where they are almost on the brink of fighting each other. I think the anger management certificates were printed from a box of Coco Puffs. During their argument, Jericho sets up Dolph to fall victim to the Chokeslam. I mentioned last year how I thought Dolph vs Jericho would happen at WM for the WHC. It would take a couple of strings for it to bend that way, but I still think this is will end up happening for the big event. Gotta stick with my theories.

Winner via pinfall: Team Hell No

The final segment of the night is Paul Heyman's job evaluation. Vince shows us a video that proves Pauly paid off Brad Maddox and the Shield to help out CM Punk in those championship matches. I don't know why, but I find this reveal to be disappointing. Just as Vince is about to can Pauly, Brock Lesnar shows up and ends the show by hitting the F5 on Vince. I love Heyman's reaction to Brock attacking Vince. OMG!!! What did you do? Say whatever you will about Pauly, but the man knows how to play a character. So, it seems my theory of a Punk/Triple H match is pretty much dead since it seems it will be Trips vs Brock. Most of you know that I personally didn't like the match the two had at SummerSlam. It felt very flat and lacked in-ring chemistry. If this match is gonna happen again, I hope this is something they can figure out or else it will suffer like the previous match. So, WM 29 consist of two matches that are gonna be matches we saw within the last year? They should just call it WrestleRematch 29. Despite how this may come off, I did enjoy this segment. This was one of the better segments throughout the whole night. I wish the whole show could've been something cool like this, but what can you do?

Overall Impression:

Yeeeeeeeaaaaaah…..This show. This show was something else. It started off well, but this really felt like a roller coaster ride. It went downhill when the dance off was brought into play. Once that happened, the show came back to life when Rock/Punk had their exchanged, but quickly went back into the depths of hell when we gotta make room for karaoke. The show ended well with the final two segments, but the entire flow of this evening was all over the place. There was some good things to watch, but it was the constant back and forth between fun and bulls*** that really keeps you from enjoying this as a whole. From top to bottom, I cannot recommend this episode. I liked certain spots, but a strong warning is issued if you watch the whole show. And for a show following one of the bigger WWE PPVs, I was expecting a little more with new storylines. That doesn't happen at all since it seems WM 29 is looking like we are gonna be seeing matches we saw within the last year. That can be a bit disappointing. To be fair, there's still loads of time to prep for WM 29. I may not like the early presentation of the card, but I'm sure there will be something I could be interested in. Plus, I have to at least view the segments before judging since there's still a chance they can get me interested in the match. If they did it once, I'm sure they can do it again. Well, I can at least be optimistic about it. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Royal Rumble 2013. How did the first WWE PPV of the year turn out? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with shameless plugging. I really didn't understand the reasoning for Bret Hart having that brief segment with Del Rio and Rodriguez before this match. Just seemed like an excuse for a cheap cameo, but whatever. I find it funny that Show wears camouflage. I think everybody can see you ass, but I digress. Hey, looks like Show is gonna have some Big Blue Balls. Am I right? Del Rio just smoked Show's ass….

Okay, I'm having way too much fun here. This match was pretty fair, but I personally think their match on SD a few weeks ago was better. Still, this was a great addition to their rivalry. The finish comes when Del Rio locks in the Cross Armbreaker. Ricardo gets some duct tape and tapes down Show's legs…

Duct tape is the toughest substance alive!!! Just don't tell John Cena about this since I'm sure he'll find a way to overpower it. I know people will hate this idea being used again, but I found this to be funny. I don't know what it is, but Del Rio and Ricardo really click as good guys. I'm really liking their act. On an off-topic note, it's amazing to see Miz in the pre-show. From full-time main eventer to part-time prep-matcher. Wait, is that a thing? It should be.

Winner and still WHC: Alberto Del Rio

Match #2: Team Hell No vs Rhodes Scholars; WWE Tag Titles

Show…..Off…….Dramatic…….Tension. See, I can do it too, Dolph. It doesn't make you special. This match wasn't too bad. The finish comes when Bryan locks in the No Lock for the submission victory. With all things considered, I have no problem with this. Team Hell No is still fun and interesting, so they should remain tag champs. One of my favorite storylines continues.

Winner via submission and still tag champs: Team Hell No

Match #3: Royal Rumble Match

The RR match is on now? I guess WWE needed to get this match in before kids missed their hero before bedtime. I never really got into rumble talk since I wasn't feeling well, but I had a sneaky suspicion that Jericho would be competing in this match. Not really sure why I was thinking that. It just seemed like an idea WWE would use. Unfortunately, nobody will believe me since I didn't say anything. Oh well, it happens. I'm sure Jericho will get himself in a program for WM 29. Depending on when Dolph cashes in the MITB, I can see a possible Dolph/Jericho match for the WHC, but kinda tough to make that claim since Del Rio is currently the WHC. It's just a theory for the time being. In terms of big name surprises for the rumble, this one really didn't go all out, but I don't measure the success of a rumble based on who's competing in the match. I simply just want to be entertained with how the match plays out. I was entertained by the rumble, but I've seen better rumble matches. I'm not gonna go into detail on everything that happened in the rumble, but I will talk about a couple of key factors in the match. Dolph and Jericho started the match and both lasted for over 47+ minutes. Kofi got himself back in the ring by using a chair as a pogo stick. Compared to what he did last year, this is pretty disappointing. Kofi's gimmick is to do stunts for the whole year. And you wonder why people consider pro wrestlers to be circus performers? Brodus performed the worst Gangnam Style ever. A drunken hippo with a harpoon up his ass could've done better. Team Hell No had an interesting elimination. Bryan ended up eliminating his tag partner. Seconds later, Bryan is thrown over the top rope and Kane catches him. I thought there were gonna proclaim their love on live PPV, but Kane just toys with Bryan and eventually drops him to the floor. I was impressed with how WWE made Bo Dallas look….Even though this was the first time I ever heard of the guy. Again, I don't watch NXT or indy wrestling, so I could care less what these guys did in the minor leagues. He had an altercation with Wade Barrett. I can see this being used for down the road. Ryback was the final entrant and eliminated the most guys. I was really pulling for Ryback to win this match when we got down to the final three guys, but it wasn't meant to be. The finish comes when Cena takes out Ryback and wins the RR for the second time in his career. I would go into my feelings on Cena's victory, but I'm gonna save that for later in the review. I have my reasons for doing it like this. If you're interested, heres the entry/elimination order for the RR.

Entrant Order:

1. Dolph Ziggler

2. Chris Jericho

3. Cody Rhodes

4. Kofi Kingston

5. Santino

6. Drew McIntyre

7. Titus O'Neil

8. Goldust

9. David Otunga

10. Heath Slater

11. Sheamus

12. Tensai

13. Brodus Clay

14. Rey Mysterio

15. Darren Young

16. Bo Dallas

17. Godfather

18. Wade Barrett

19. John Cena

20. Damien Sandow

21. Daniel Bryan

22. Antonio Cesaro

23. Khali

24. Kane

25. Zack Ryder

26. Randy Orton

27. Jinder Mahal

28. Miz

29. Sin Cara

30. Ryback

Elimination Order:

1. Santino-by Rhodes

2. McIntyre-by Jericho

3. Titus-by Sheamus

4. Otunga-by Sheamus

5. Goldust-by Rhodes

6. Brodus-by roster

7. Tensai-by Kofi

8. Darren-by Kofi

9. Kofi-by Rhodes

10. Godfather-by Dolph

11. Slater-by Cena

12. Rhodes-by Cena

13. Mysterio-by Wade

14. Khali-by Kane

15. Kane-by Daniel

16. Bryan-by Kane and

17. Ryder-by Randy

18. Antonio-by Cena

19. Jinder-by Sheamus

20. Wade-by Bo Dallas

21. Bo Dallas-by Wade

22. Damien-by Ryback

23. Sin Cara-by Ryback

24. Miz-by Ryback

25. Jericho-by Dolph

26. Randy-by Ryback

27. Dolph-by Sheamus

28. Sheamus-by Ryback

29. Ryback-by Cena

Winner of the 2013 Royal Rumble: Mr. Breakfast Cereal

Match #4: CM Punk vs Rock; WWE Championship

I don't know why, but I thought this was a better wrestling match than Rock/Cena. I know this won't get the mainstream attention like Rock/Cena, but I just wanted to give some credit to where it's due. Although, I can't say the same for the actual finish of this match. Who built that Spanish Announce table? Sin Cara? Actually, that would make a lot of sense if you watched his RR performance. The Rock is about to hit the People's Elbow until the lights go out. Once the lights turn back on, Rock was put through the announce table. The commentators were playing it up that it was the Shield, but I kinda liked that they didn't show who it was. It plays up a future storyline between Punk and Vince, but I'll save that for later in the review. Punk rolls Rock back in the ring and Punk has retained the title. Just as Punk is celebrating, Vince McMahon comes out and claims that since nobody saw the Shield, he feels it was the stable and is about to strip Punk of the WWE title. Innocent until proven guilty, my ass!!! The Rock cuts off Vince and wants him to restart the match. Since Vince is mostly thinking about his checking account at this time, he restarts the match. WWE trolled the entire planet with that move.

Rocky is able to fight back and hit the People's Elbow for the victory. This is seriously what happens. Punk is about to hit the GTS, but one spinebuster and elbow end the 400+ day championship reign. Talk about ending things in the laziest way possible. I would've preferred a GTS/kickout/Rock Bottom combo, but that just sounds like WAY too much planning. How silly of me?

Yeah, so I wasn't really big on how the actual match concluded. It's almost obvious that Rock/Cena is gonna happen for the second year in a row. So, that whole 'Once in a lifetime' build turns out to be nothing more than hot air? So, what do we call this? Twice in a lifetime? What if they do it next year? Third time is the charm since we ran out of ideas? There's a possibility of things changing between now and then, but I highly doubt it. So, I have some issues about this scenario WWE just played out. I understand why WWE did this move at the end of the day. Let's be honest here. Rock/Cena 2 will make WWE the most money. I know wrestling purest will argue that it's insulting for a part-time performer to be the WWE Champion for a couple months, but WWE is a business. What's the main goal of a business? To make as much profit as possible. I know the IWC will never see it like that, but that's just the way things are. The IWC only makes up about 10-15% of the wrestling audience, so what's the likely move? Side with the 85% of the casual audience, or side with the 15% people who will complain about the product regardless of what you do? Seriously, I could retire if I got a nickel every time I've read 'I done watching WWE after tonight….blah blah blah', but I digress. At the same time, I understand a lot of the complaints after tonight. You go with the money-making match, but it's a money-making match that probably shouldn't happen. By making Rock/Cena 2 a WWE title match, you're basically telling people Cena will win this time around. For me, that just ruins the idea of Cena/Rock 2. I personally have no problem if you want to do the match again, but I find the value of the match to go down when you make it for the WWE title. Either Cena ends up winning or they come up with some wrestling logic that allows a MITB holder to cash in on the WWE title. At this point, that's what I'm hoping happens. I want to get this out of the way right now since I've probably confused a few people with some of my thoughts. Should the Rock still compete in the WWE? Of course he should. If he wants to compete part-time, I have no problem with that. Undertaker only competes for one match out of the year. Doesn't that make him a part-time performer as well? If Taker can do it, why not the Rock? While I have no problems with Rocky competing on a part-time basis, he really doesn't need to be going after the WWE title. What does Rocky gain from being WWE Champion? At this stage of his career, not a whole lot. So, a lot of people also wonder what happens to Punk after tonight? Well, Punk and Vince has been building up for the last few months. Here's what I'm thinking they got planned for Punk. Since we never saw the true conclusion to Punk/Triple H, I can see Trips helping his father-in-law to deal with the true villain of the WWE. I personally wouldn't mind seeing Punk/Trips happen at WM. There's still a lot more they could do with this rivalry. Again, this is only my speculation for the time being. I'm sad that Punk's title reign is over since I know he could do more with it, but it was time for him to drop the title. He had one of the longest world title reigns in the last 29 years. He's still the best heel in the WWE. I'm sure Punk will get many great programs after this amazing run. Wow….That was a long rant. I apologize for that, but I had a lot to say. I understand WWE's intentions of making the most money with another Rock/Cena match, but don't feel it should be for the WWE Title. I'm not big on this match happening again, but I understand it, I will live with it, and I will move on with my life.

Winner via pinfall and NEW WWE Champion: Rock

Overall Impression:

I know everyone is talking about how this PPV sucked, but I didn't see it like that. I found the show to be enjoyable with some of the matches tonight, but the show suffers from being way too predictable. The purpose of the night was to line the cards up for Rock/Cena 2, but it was those intentions that made this night way too obvious. In fact, I think THIS bothers me more than anything else that happened tonight. I can accept Rock defeating Punk for the WWE title. I can accept 'Twice in a lifetime'. I can accept Rock/Cena for the WWE title…..within reason, but I cannot accept the predictability factor this night brought out. Where were the surprises? The only thing that was a surprise was Punk's fake victory. Sure, WWE trolled everybody, but I can a least appreciate the idea of thinking outside the box. Despite the predicability of the show, I was entertained for most of the evening. If I have to give WWE Royal Rumble 2013 a score between 1-10 and 5 considered average on this show, I have to give this show a 6 out of 10. I was a fair show, but it can leave you a bit disappointed because of the predictability factor. I know smarks will make smart-ass comments about me being entertained by this, but I'm only telling you my honest feelings about the shows. I write reviews based on MY thoughts and not what smarks want me to think. I try to make you see things from my perspective, while always being open to seeing things from your perspective. This was something I needed to get out of the way since I know this show is gonna get a very mixed opinion. Well, I think I've gone on long enough. I can probably keep going, but I need to wrap this up. We still have a long way to go until WM 29, so who's to say what will happen with the rest of the card. Can't judge a book by its cover, right? That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Welcome to the finale of the Best and Worst of 2012. I know this should've been done weeks ago, but life got in the way of releasing this. Without further delay, let's finally end this look back and move forward. If you haven't seen Part I or II, click the links below to check them out.

There was a couple of decent matches to choose from, but this was an easy choice for me. 2012 featured some great matches from both companies. I personally think the best gimmick match TNA had to offer was the Last Man Standing match between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. Yeah, both guys were in a storyline that was comprised of horse s***, but the guys managed to put together some great matches. I personally think this was the best match they put together in 2012. In their in-ring debut, The Shield was thrown into a TLC match because of an injured CM Punk. That's a very tall order when you think about that. Despite a tough situation for three rookies, Shield manages to put together one of the best TLC matches I've seen in years. We have to be fair and give Bryan, Kane, and Ryback some credit, but I'm more stunned by the overall performance of the rookies in this situation. That's how you show the company that didn't make a mistake when calling you up to the main roster. Shield is definitely on their way to some big things. At the end of the day, I had to give this to the veterans. Taker and Trips went out there and put so much into this match. What really won me over with this match was the emotion. Taker, Trips, and HBK really laid it all out there and delivered a spectacular performance. That's a moment that's difficult to duplicate. The moment really can bring a tear to your eye. It was a masterpiece that featured some of the best of all time. I know this one gets some flag amongst people for not really being that amazing 'wrestling' match, but this moment cannot go unnoticed. As a simple fan, all I can say is thank you to everyone that put this match together.

This wasn't an easy choice. In the PPV department, we had a pretty good year. There was some duds, but that's always gonna happen. Destination X featured the short-lived Option C, where the X Division champion could give up the title for a shot at the world title. Not really sure what happens to this stipulation since TNA is only doing four PPVs this year, but we shall wait and see. I think this idea has potential. Overall, this was probably their best PPV of the year, but I personally think Slammiversary was better. To each his or her own. TLC featured the amazing TLC match, while WM featured some of the greatest WM moments of all time. Those are very strong choices, but I have to pick Extreme Rules as my personal favorite. ER featured two amazing world title matches in Bryan/Sheamus and Punk/Jericho. Plus, who could forget the brawl between John Cena and Brock Lesnar? It was really a toss up between ER and WM. It really could've gone both ways. Regardless of which was your favorite between the two, both shows are definitely worth adding to the DVD collection.

This award goes out to the people who will have a great 2013. You can also look at it as who will improve on what they did a year ago. I can see a lot of disagreement with this decision, but I think some people will understand where I'm coming from here. If you were here a year ago, I also did this category. Last year, I ended up picking Dolph as the guy who would have the biggest potential for 2012. Part of me feels it would be cheap to pick the same guy twice based on what this award means. Unlike WWE Superstar of the Year, this type of award shouldn't really have a multi-time winner. It seems redundant. I just wanted to get that out there since I can see some people argue against some of the other choices. Dolph did have a good 2012, but part of me thought he should've done better. I'm sure Dolph will have a big year in 2013. He's holding onto the MITB and seems very close to becoming a legit world champion. I have no doubt he'll have a big year, but I'm personally thinking that Shield will have a big year as well. I don't think they will have a bigger year than Dolph, but as rookies still getting their feet wet, I think they will make some massive strides in their careers. I can see Shield being one of those forces that goes far in 2013. I know stables in WWE tend to fall pretty early. Especially when they encounter Mr. Breakfast Cereal, but I think WWE wants these guys to do well. By giving them that big win at TLC against Ryback and Team Hell No, I think WWE wants the Shield to become a big threat. It's really hard to say what the Shield will become when it comes time for the stable to split apart. I will definitely agree that Dead Ambrose has been the most entertaining part of the stable. His promo style isn't completely original, but it's something we haven't seen from a character in quite some time. Seth Rollins has done okay with the part, while Roman Reigns is the muscle of the group. There's a reason why he doesn't really say much. Strangely enough, I've enjoyed his one-liners. At least he has that going for him. Regardless if you pick Dolph or the Shield, I think both are gonna be big in 2013.

Non-Gimmick Match of the Year

My Choice: CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan

Your Choice: Punk vs Bryan-65%, Punk vs Cena- 19%, Roode vs Aries-10%

This was an easy choice in my opinion. According to the poll, you thought the same thing. It isn't like these other matches were bad. In fact, they were awesome in their own right, but the Punk/Bryan match at Over the Limit was just on another playing field. Their match at the PPV is what made the show stand out. The finish was pretty interesting as well. It started the build between Punk and Bryan, which in of itself, also started the birth of Team Hell No. If you're looking for a flat out wrestling match, this is the match for you. Yeah, I really have nothing else to say about this one.

TNA Wrestler/Superstar of the Year

My Choice: Bobby Roode

Your Choice-Austin Aries-65%, Roode-16%, Jeff Hardy-8%

Oh, I expect to get a lot of crap for this choice. How dare I choose Roode over Aries for the best of 2012. Well, I have my reasons. I'm not gonna lie. Aries was insane in 2012. He put on some of the best matches TNA had to offer for the entire year and made a giant climb from the X Division to the main event. Based on where he's at, it seems Aries is gonna be with the big boys for quite some time. So, how can I pick against this list of credentials? Well, I think it's easy to forget about what Roode was doing for the first half of the year. For the first half of 2012, Roode was the man in TNA. I think most people forgot that Roode became the longest reigning world champion in the history of TNA. I know some smart-ass will mock this, but that's still an impressive feat. Roode wasn't one of those boring champions. He found himself in some of the best feuds/matches for 2012 and continued to cut great promos to make his character draw heat. I think the reason I picked Bobby over Aries is by judging both world title reigns. Roode was quite simply a much more interesting champion than Aries. To be fair, Aries was playing a face during his world title reign, but he quickly took a backseat when Aces and Eights become the centerpiece of the show. Whenever Roode was the champion, he was always in the main storyline and had a championship reign that I wanted to see continue. Aries' title reign was just something I wish would just stop after a while. I know I'm pissing off a lot of Aries fans, but that's personally how I feel about his world title reign. I'm sure Aries can have an awesome world title reign as a heel, but I cannot base things on what COULD'VE happened and have to base things on what DID happen. For me, Bobby had the better world title reign, which is what makes him my choice for TNA Wrestler of the Year. There's gonna be a lot of disagreement with this choice, but I welcome the challenge.

I can see why Aries and Punk got a high number of votes. Aries' option C was great and it was amazing seeing him get the world title, but the reason he doesn't get my vote is because his world title reign is kinda forgettable. Punk's heel turn was a little more interesting than Aries. Punk's world title reign was starting to get boring until he decided to go back to a character that he's more comfortable with. I still like anti-hero Punk, but I would gladly take heel Punk over face Punk any day of the week. As soon as he turned heel, his world title run started to mean something again. He eventually joined up with Paul Heyman and it only made his heel turn stick out even more. Even though I enjoyed Punk going back to his roots, Team Hell No was just too entertaining at the end of the day. Simply put, Team Hell No has entertained me more than anything else that happened in 2012. I know I've talked a lot about this pairing during this look back, but these guys are hilarious. This pairing has done many things for the WWE. Not only did it put together two talented people to do some successful comedy, but it also had a big role in the resurrection of the tag division. I've already gone into detail on how I feel about tag team wrestling, but Team Hell No really had a big hand in this. Plus, something about 'hug it out' is really funny. I love this storyline so much that I got this T-shirt….

….And it's awesome. Kane and Daniel Bryan deserve a round of applause of what they've created. I know a time will come for this pairing to stop, but let's enjoy it while we can.

WWE Wrestler/Superstar of the Year

My Choice: CM Punk

Your Choice: Punk-68%, Daniel Bryan-14%, Dolph Ziggler-10%

As with WrestlingNerd tradition, we end the look back with the WWE Wrestler of the Year. Once again, this was a very easy choice in my opinion, but let's look at the people who tried to make a run for this award. I know the IWC loves Dolph. I think that's where a good percentage of these votes came from. I admittedly put Dolph on the ballot just to see how the voting turned out. Now, I need to get this out of the way since people don't seem to understand my thoughts on Dolph. I like Dolph Ziggler. He's got a ton of potential to be one of the WWE's best for years to come, but I don't go insane over Dolph like some of the internet fans. I really like Dolph Ziggler, but I swear that some people treat the guy as if he's the second coming of Jesus. He's great, but let's not go overboard now. Now that I've explained that, I expect somebody to twist my words so that I'm viewed as a Dolph hater. That's generally how it works, but I've grown to accept it. Daniel was the other guy who I thought had a legit shot at this award. If you read my Breakout/Comeback of the Year, then you already know why I think Daniel would make a strong candidate for this award. Still, nobody can touch CM Punk in this category and he wins this award for a second straight year. The man has had one of the longest reigning WWE title reigns in over 25 years. Considering that holding the championship for a whole year is rare, that's really saying something. Punk put some some of the most entertaining matches for the whole year and he was the best promo cutter for the whole year. Quite simply, nobody came close to competing with Punk for this award. I can keep going, but I think you get the idea. It's hard to say if Punk will be able to 3-peat, but we shall see.

And that FINALLY does it for the Best and Worst of 2012. I always enjoy doing this, but it's tiring having to work on all of this. I will be glad to get back to a more relaxed schedule for 2013. I thank everyone that took part in the poll and I really thank anyone who has given me a chance to entertain you these past two years. I've had a great time writing reviews and coming up with stupid jokes. At the end of the day, it's YOU guys who keep this page going. You are the reason I'm still around doing this after all this time. I thank each and every single one of you that's helped me along the way. We may always differ on opinions, but I think seeing opinions from a different point of view is what makes this page fun. I always welcome people to argue against me in a respectful manner. I can keep going on and on about how you folks are awesome, but I should wrap this up. I thank you for joining me in 2012 and here's to another great year.

Friday, January 25, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown 1/25/13. How does the final show leading into the Royal Rumble fair? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Team Hell No. Both talk about their title defense and who will win the RR match. Since somebody wants to force another tag match on SD, Big Show, Rhodes Scholars, and Alberto Del Rio all interrupt. Sure enough, Booker comes out to make this a six man ELIMINATION tag match for tonight. Ohhhhh…..scary. The opening was just there to set up the tag match and give us an early preview into a few of the RR matches.

Match #1: Sheamus vs Wade Barrett

You want to play a drinking game with SD? Well, I got one for you. Take a shot every time somebody says 'we fight on Friday nights'. You will get alcohol poisoning by the end of one episode. In a fair match, Sheamus wins with the Brogue Kick.

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

Match #2: Natalya vs Rosa Mendes

Natalya wins with the Sharpshooter. The match was ehh. This is probably the worst three-way ever.

Winner via submission: Natalya

CM Punk comes out to confront the Shield. Once they arrive, Punk keeps mentioning that he isn't connected with Shield and he won't be happy if they interfere in his match. For the first time that I can think of, Shield actually walks away and does nothing. Once they leave, the Rock shows up to give us one final confrontation between himself and Punk. Rocky says he still believes Punk is working with Shield and he will become the new WWE Champion this Sunday. For the final confrontation between the two, this one is at least fair. I felt more could've been done between Rock and Punk, but there's still enough interest for this PPV.

Match #3: Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre

This match didn't last long. 3MB interferes, thus resulting in a DQ. After the match, Randy takes out all the members of 3MB. We're the Three Job Baaaaaaaaannnnnnnd!!!

Winner via DQ: Randy Orton

Match #4: Miz vs Darren Young

Miz gets the quick victory with Figure Four Lock. Antonio was on commentary for this match, so at least they're adding some last-minute build between these two. I kinda like the rivalry, but I think they could do a lot more if they were given more time. Since this is the first match, I think there will be more build with this rivalry after this Sunday.

Was this an elimination match or a countout free-for-all? Seriously, half the people in this match lost because people couldn't answer the ten count. Boy, was this getting repetitive. What was strange is the final two ended up being Del Rio and Cody. Del Rio ends up hitting the Enziguri for the victory. Del Rio is the sole survivor. After the match, Show attacks Del Rio and takes him out. He even takes out Del Rio to the point where he couldn't answer Show's ten count. Why is burying people under the announce table the newest thing in the WWE? Speaking of which, why do I get the strange feeling that WWE would have John Cena punch through the damn thing in order to keep the match going? Hey, you know that's what will end up happening in the future.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Overall Impression:

I really didn't expect much with this week's episode, but this wasn't too bad. I think for a show that was centered on selling the RR PPV, I think it does that decently enough. I'm not saying this was a great episode. In fact, you can look at it as filler, but I can at least be fair with the rumble hype. These SD reviews tend to be my shortest ones out of the week. I really have nothing else to add. I know this is the part where I discuss the RR matches, but I personally don't feel like doing so. I apologize for this, but I'm a little under the weather. The best I can do is give my top favorites to win the rumble match. These are in no particular order, but my favorites are John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Rock, CM Punk, and Ryback. Depending on who loses the WWE title match, I can see a scenario where the loser competes in the RR match. We'll talk more about the RR in the RR review. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 1/24/13. After last week's wedding bomb, how does this week fair? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Bully Ray's true feelings for the Hulkster. Come on, he's holding his hand during that clip. I understand why they did it, but Bully continues to be a shell of what he used to be. I'm starting to think that the only reason he would marry Brooke Hogan is so he can get close to Hulk. I mean REALLY close to Hulk. And for some reason, TNA thought it was cool to watch Aces and Eights make donuts. You spin me right round, baby, right round. Finally, Tazz and Card Games come out to explain some things. So, am I the only one thinking Tommy Boy when I see Tazz wearing that jacket? Fat guy in a little coat. Anyway, he explains that he wanted to work for a higher power. Yeah, I bet it took TNA a whole two minutes to think of that cliche, but I digress. And to add to the bulls***, Tazz mentions that he can take over the entire company if anyone touches him. That's the flimsy negotiations if you ask me. Then again, I heard Hogan can steal the blood from 100,000 people if TNA breaches his contract. Dixie Carter really doesn't care about the safety of her company if this is a continuing schtick. I really don't understand the point of having Tazz say this line. I just find it to be a waste of time since I doubt this will mean anything moving forward. This was a basic opening….If you want to call it that. As I explained last week, Tazz turning on TNA is amazing….For about five-minutes until you realize that all he can do is talk. Well, I have to be fair. So let's wait and see what else they can dish out with this swerve.

Match #1: Tara vs Velvet Sky; KO Title

Thanks to the ropes and Jesse Douche, Tara is able to retain the title. I love how Velvet doesn't seem to care that she lost the match. Even her blonde-like mind knows this match means nothing with wrestling logic present.

Winner via plastic toys and still KO Champ: Tara

Joseph Park comes out and talks about how he no longer wants to be a lawyer and now wants to be a full-time wrestler. Not really sure how OVW could give somebody the green light after only 3-4 weeks of training, but that's the power of wrestling logic. Joseph is disappointed that he didn't win a few weeks back, but vows he will challenge somebody for Open Fight Night and get the first victory. I'm guessing Joseph has some memory loss since he doesn't seem to remember defeating Bully Ray last year, but does anybody even remember that? Did this Abyss character ever truly exist and is just a figment of our imaginations? It really makes you wonder.

Match #2: RVD and Christian York vs Kenny King and Zema Ion

Did Kenny just seriously call Zema 'Goku'…..

I know how you feel Krillin…..I know how you feel. Kenny steals this match for his team. It seems TNA wants to have two guys get some exposure in the X Division in York and Kenny. I don't have an issue with this. It's better than doing nothing.

Winner via cheating: Kenny King and Zema Ion

Bully and Brooke beg Hogan to reinstate Bully. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that Tazz is still doing commentary for TNA. During this bit, he leaves to go take a phone call. Either that or Aces and Eights is throwing a pizza party. Can't miss that. Sting comes out to persuade Hogan to bring back the Bully. Hogan is taking time off this week since he really didn't feel obligated to give a f*** about this week's show. I love how Sting says Hogan always goes all the way. That's right, ladies and gentleman. Hogan could've given you a half-way sex tape, but that man always goes the distance. He wanted to make sure he gave you the full sex tape. I know there's the possibility of this entire storyline getting better, but it only seems to be getting worse.

Match #3: Bobby Roode vs Hernandez

I love the backstage scene between Aries and Roode. There's some obvious differences between these guys and Team Hell No, but I get a couple of reminders of what TNA's doing here. I personally don't mind this idea since Roode and Aries have more than enough charisma to do something different and not become complete copycats. Thanks to Aries and his cunning, Bobby steals this match with a Bulldog. One bulldog takes out this guy? Ehh, who cares about Hernandez? After the match, Aries and Bobby argue since both guys clearly had a different agenda. It was pretty funny, but this might've been the most enjoyable thing out of the whole night.

Winner via pinfall: Bobby Roode

Kurt Angle comes out to challenge Mr. Anderson. Yeah, it seems Kurt has completely forgotten his fight against Aces and Eights and is now focused on Anderson. I know somebody will argue that they are both related, but I consider that a stretch. Meanwhile, at the Hall of Dips***s, Anderson is realizing that hookers cannot solve every problem as he freaks out about the cage match he has against Kurt next week. I guess this is the time where I mention how Samoa Joe was bothered by Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco in a backstage scene. So, you work with them for weeks, but NOW you have a problem with them? This is lazy and bad writing. It's a two-for-one deal.

Match #4: Jeff Hardy vs Christopher Daniels; TNA World Title

I love how throughout the night, TNA was building up this match as if it was a big deal. Based on what happened after the match, I really have to wonder the reasoning for hyping it to this extent. The match wasn't bad, but the 'wow' factor is pretty much gone. Then again, I'm not even sure if there was a 'wow' factor to begin with. The finish comes when Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb for the clean victory. After the match, Tazz gets up and talks about how Aces and Eights is gonna take over everything. You know, cuz they've done such a great job overtaking things in the past 5-6 months. As Tazz rambles, a member of Aces and Eights takes out Hardy with a hammer to the back of Hardy's knee. Either that or Hardy wanted to take a seat. Seriously, he barely sells this attack. You are reaching a new level of awful if John Cena manages to out-sell your battle scares. I'm guessing Aces and Eights are starting to put the world champion on notice, but why should I care? This has happened before and it went nowhere. I guess when you fail, try try try try try TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY TRY ONE MORE FLIPPIN' TIME!!! Wait, what just happened?

Winner via pinfall and still World Champion: Jeff Hardy

Overall Impression:

This was a pretty boring evening of TNA wrestling. The only thing I really enjoyed was the Aries/Roode bit. Other than that, nothing really sticks out. The matches were ehh, and it showed that the Tazz turn isn'g gonna be that big of a move. He adds another voice to the stable, but that's all he does. His surprise turn has already reached its excitement factor. To be fair, Tazz really seemed comfortable cutting those heel promos. Some of the best stuff Tazz's done in years. Then again, what can you compare it to? This was just a bland episode at the end of the day. I know TNA is holding stuff out for the overseas tour, but I would've appreciated a little more effort. I hope things go better in the UK. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 1/21/13. How does the 'go home' episode fair? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Vickie Guerrero and Paul Heyman. They both complain about the abomination that was known as the Rock Concert. I seriously think that was the worst Rock Concert ever, but that's just my opinion. Because of his music, Vickie has banned Rock from entering the building. Hmmm….banned from the building? How will he ever get inside the building? I mean, it's impossible, right? Yeah, it's really hard to show sarcasm in a written review. In the back, Rock is giving a speech in how he'll get in the building. I love how there's a security check in the middle of the hallway. I guess you can buy them everywhere these days. If you smell what the Vick is cooking? I don't even know if I want to continue to watch this….No, I've seen worse to start off the show.

Match #1: Antonio Cesaro vs Randy Orton; Beat the Clock Challenge

In tonight's show, we have a series of BTC matches. I'm sorry. Apparently, it's a #Beat the Clock Challenge. My mistake…..Really? Do we have to hash-tag everything? Whoever gets the best time will get to choose their spot in the Royal Rumble. Well, it was about time they do something like this. It wouldn't be RR season if they didn't do something that involved the RR entry. This match wasn't too bad, but I was left wanting more. I makes me think a Antonio/Randy rivalry wouldn't be such a bad idea somewhere down the road. The finish comes when Randy hits the RKO for the victory. The clock stops at 11:36.

Winner via pinfall: Randy Orton

Match #2: Big Show vs Zack Ryder

Surprise surprise. Brad Maddox finds his way in the building by doing commentary. Rock is really gonna have his hands full trying to get in the building after that performance. During the shenanigans of Maddox, Show wins with the KO punch. Woo Woo Woo, you job it. That should be his new catchphrase.

Winner via pinfall: Big Show

Match #3: Ryback vs Heath Slater

Just as Pauly is talking backstage, Maddox interrupts him once again. Paul changes his mind about him because of his persistence. Pauly vows to make Maddox's dreams come true. My dream of a mediocrity will finally come true!!! Shell Shock for the kill. After the match, Ryback talks about winning the RR match. I love how they talk about how the winner of RR will headline WM. More likely that you will open up the show, but I digress.

Winner via pinfall: Ryback

As Rock continues to find a way in the building, CM Punk is in the ring cutting a promo. Punk claims he will make sure Rocky doesn't win the WWE title and the people don't matter. Still a pretty fair promo, but not one of the best Punk has to offer. It's still interesting, but you're left expecting more.

Match #4: Dolph Ziggler vs Miz; Beat the Clock Challenge

Sure enough, it didn't take long to hear IWC rage over Miz using the Figure Four. I don't see why it should matter, but that's just my personal stance on it. Miz has the Figure Four locked in, but shenanigans by Big E and AJ help Dolph stay in the match. Dolph hits the Zig Zag to steal this match at the 10:56 mark. Dolph now sets the time for the BTC challenge.

Winner via cheating: Dolph Ziggler

Team Hell No graduates from anger management. Wait, they're the first graduates from Dr. Shelby's class? I'm guessing everyone else in the course ended up killing somebody to fail this class. And apparently, AJ really went all out in hiring help for these two. Again, sarcasm is hard to show in a text review. The two fight over who the valedictorian is, but that goes nowhere fast. Shelby ask everyone to hug it out at the same time. This is the most ridiculous thing ever. So many bro hugs all at one time. It's cheesy, but I can appreciate the laughter. I thought there should've been a scene were Daniel hugged Justin Roberts, but I still enjoyed the scene for what it was worth.

Match #5: Kaitlyn vs Alicia Fox

Kaitlyn hits the Spear and wins the match. Tamina is watching this match backstage. Kaitlyn, Layla, and now Tamina? Wow, the diva division is starting to fire u---No, no it isn't. I can't even do that with a straight face.

Winner via pinfall: Kaitlyn

Pauly comes to the ring and basically calls the WWE Universe a bunch of idiots that can't wrap their mind around Punk's words. Speaking of which, where's Damien Sandow tonight? I was curious to---nevermind. Pauly's here to dumb it down for you. The Rock interrupts the speech. Well, he manages to get a ticket thanks to the cops from earlier in the evening. That must've been some special ticket to allow the person to come through the ring, but that's wrestling logic for you. The Rock ends up quoting Martin Luther King. Yeah, that's a good way to eat up all the cheap pop quota. After the Rock's speech, Shield takes out Rock. The injustice Rock served was making the Tooth Fairy. Part of me wishes they would've waited for the Shield attack until the PPV, but it probably won't matter in the long run. It was clear that the Shield was going to get in the middle of this rivalry at some point. After all, I'm sure the Shield would have plenty of reasons to not like the Rock. Regardless, it adds a little more intrigue to the Punk/Rock match this Sunday.

Match #6: Sheamus vs Wade Barrett; Beat the Clock Challenge

During the match, Dolph and crew show up to make sure Sheamus didn't beat the clock. Sheamus finally hits the Brogue Kick, but runs out of time. That means Dolph wins the BTC Challenge. In a quick backstage scene, Dolph is gloating about choosing his entry spot, but Vickie breaks the bad news. Dolph can only chose #1 or #2. Did WWE just make a toilet joke? Yeah, I don't think Vickie is bitter towards Dolph/AJ. Not really sure what this will mean come Rumble time, but we shall wait and see how Dolph ends up performing.

No Contest

In a quick backstage scene, Vince McMahon claims he'll strip Punk of the WWE title if Shield interferes. Hmmm…..Remember Pauly and Maddox earlier in the night? Hey, don't be surprised if that's what happens at the RR.

Match #7: Alberto Del Rio vs Tensai

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume Tensai ate Sakamoto. I really don't know why since Sakamoto was probably the most interesting part of this character. It turns out Del Rio and Show will compete in another Last Man Standing match. How original. Del Rio really has found a way to connect with the casual audience in such a short time. Strangely enough, I'm actually enjoying his work as a face. Makes me wonder why they didn't do this sooner. Del Rio wins with a Moonsault. To the moon!!! Bob Backlund is being inducted in the Hall of Fame. It should've happened a long time ago, but the same could be said about many people who still haven't gotten in the Hall of Fame. I would continue on this rant, but something tells me I'm gonna piss more people off by going down this road.

Winner via pinfall: Alberto Del Rio

For the whole evening, WWE was hyping up Cena addressing the WWE Universe. Well, what it amounted to was Cena saying he was gonna win the Rumble…..shocking? He already did this a few weeks ago, so what was the point of this?

John Cena: Hey guys, I'm just gonna repeat myself because I need more money…..The champ is here….

Cena continues to make the casual fans happy by talking about modern day pop culture. Thankfully, somebody decides to stop Cena's ranting. Sheamus, Prime Time Players, Randy, Miz, Team Hell No, Antonio, and 3MB all claim they will win the rumble. Geeze, is WWE trying to set the record for how many microphones they can use at one time? Did they break the budget with this move? The show ends when a brawl breaks out as the ring fills up with possible rumble entrants. We are getting an early preview for the RR match. Right now, there doesn't seem to be a clear cut winner for the rumble match. There's 5-6 top choices, but nobody really leaps out as the #1 guy right now. I think keeping it a secret is the best way to go. I find it adds more intrigue and mystery to the match. Shhhh….It's a secret to everyone.

Overall Impression:

For a 'go home' episode, the show at least does what it's supposed to do. They built up the PPV in order to increase interest for the event. I think they did that well tonight, but this wasn't the best episode either. For me, this falls in the category of average. The matches were okay, but that's common for 'go home' episodes. The show really didn't have anything that leaped out at you. Punk/Rock had some decent promos, but the best promos they've done was the first encounter. The final segment builds up the Rumble match and while there's still a mystery factor in who's gonna win the match, I think they could've done more to build up this match. Did we forget that the winner of this match gets a world title match at WM? It's almost easy to forget that fact. They didn't build up all the matches for RR, but that's what Smackdown is for…..If you even bother watching the show these days. Tonight's episode was fair, but you aren't missing much if you decided to skip it. I still have high expectations for the RR PPV, so I really hope it doesn't disappoint when the time comes. Strong emphasis on 'I hope'. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Part II of the Best and Worst of 2012 is finally available. Yeah, about time I get my ass working on those. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Welcome back to the Best and Worst of WWE/TNA for 2012. Let's tackle another ten categories and move forward. If you haven't seen Part I yet, click on the link below to catch up on anything you may have missed.

Your Choice: WWE No Way Out-30%, TNA Final Resolution-28%, TNA Against All Odds-24%

The voting was very close for this one. It wasn't by much, but you personally thought No Way Out was the worst. I can see why you would think that. Nothing really happens at this PPV. The only thing I remembered from this was Sheamus/Dolph. Well, at least the wrestling quality for this show was fair, but I think the issue was the predictability. It just seemed too obvious what was gonna happen. I personally don't think NWO was WWE's worst PPV of 2012. I personally thought Hell in a Cell was much worse, but it's mostly because of the wrestling quality. Even with that said, that wasn't the worst showing of the year. If I really had to pick the worst PPV of 2012, I have to go with Final Resolution. This PPV was like an episode of DragonBall Z. Filler, filler, and more filler. That's all you get with Final Resolution….

The show didn't sit well with me at all. The only thing worth watching with this PPV was Styles/Daniels, but I personally think they've done better matches. If I'm looking to watch a Styles/Daniels match, I probably gonna pick their Last Man Standing match. But the sooner I forget about that rivalry, the sooner I can stop giving a therapist a share of my paycheck, but I digress. Do yourself a favor and don't watch any of these PPVs. We'll talk about good PPVs later. I think it can help you wash away the sin.

I'm glad Roode/Storm had a decent turnout. I personally think this was my second favorite rivalry of the year. I think the reason it doesn't get my vote is because it did make a few mistakes, especially when the rivalry ended. Storm went from Roode to Daniels…..why? There really wasn't that gigantic rivalry that really defined 2012. Don't get me wrong. We got some pretty good rivalries for the year, but there really wasn't that rivalry that stuck out. I think this is why the voting for this was close. As I mentioned in the last part, we had two ties in the polls, 'Rookie of the Year' and this one. Punk/Jericho was good, but I felt it performed below my expectations. It still was pretty good, but I felt they could've done a whole lot more with it. Punk/Bryan falls in the same category as well. I think it's because of the overexposure of AJ that did hurt this rivalry. If I really had to pick one, I would say Punk/Bryan was the best of 2012. Their matches and inclusion of Kane is what made this stick out the most. It was because of Kane's presence that we would get Team Hell No. I think that's why Punk/Bryan gets my vote. This wasn't an easy choice, but something about Punk/Bryan makes a bigger impression than Punk/Jericho.

Underused Talent of 2012

My Choice: Wade Barrett

Your Choice: Wade Barrett-49%, Magnus-17%, Miz-16%

This award goes out to the talent that simply got used poorly in 2012. I know a category like this can be very crowded with undercard talents that the majority of people don't really know anything about. I mostly put talents that we have a general idea of who or what they are about. Miz has had a rough stretch since losing the WWE title last year, but I think is slowly finding his comfort zone. Most say he's playing face these days, but he comes off more as a tweener. I think this works best for Miz. He can still be an smug s.o.b, but can be appreciated while doing it. Magnus got a lot more exposure this year and I still think isn't getting enough credit. I think people are slowly coming around on the guy, but I've been saying for years that Magnus has the potential to be something if you give him a chance. These two are strong candidates for this award, but I easily have to pick Wade for this award. It was a shame that he got injured earlier in the year, but that wasn't the worst of it. WWE had plans to bring back Wade as a bad-ass, but what happened? Nothing. Nothing happened. They brought him back and weren't sure what to do with him, so he was in limbo until Survivor Series rolled around. What happened here? Did the creative staff drink their lunch during the meetings? It was strange to say the least. Wade did end the year winning the IC title, but he easily can go after the world title. So far, Wade hasn't looked too bad as the IC champion, so it's possible that he'll get back on the right track. I know that winning the IC title in 2012 meant creative had nothing for you, but maybe things can be different with Wade holding the belt? I can at least be optimistic about it….

Awww, the worst storyline of the year. Or as I like to call it, the Vince Russo Award. There was plenty to choose from in this category. Embracing the hate was ridiculous at the end of the day. It did more for Eve than anyone else. The Hogans drama was bad, but I cannot consider it the worst of 2012 because it happened really late in the year. In fact, the storyline is still going on. I think the storyline is an early candidate for the worst of 2013, but that's just me. In my personal opinion, the worst storyline of 2012 was Styles and Daniels. This storyline made absolutely no sense. You had Kaz turn on Styles and acted conflicted during the early stages of his character. What we end up finding out is Daniels told Kaz that Styles is a shady character, but he wasn't fully convinced at first. So, the first thing off about this storyline was Kaz's thought process. It made absolutely no sense. That alone sounds bad, but we're just getting started with this one. Bad Influence tried to convince people that Styles and Dixie Carter were in a relationship. I was actually starting to get back in the storyline at this point, but nothing could've prepared you for the next turn in this storyline. Claire Lynch……Yep….Claire Lynch. I don't think I have to explain who Claire Lynch is. If you don't know who she is, consider that your own personal reward. Once that plot-hole went up TNA's ass, they wrote her character off when she quit her job. Yeah, TNA was trying to write the wrong by convincing you this never happened by blowing more smoke up your ass. I would be embarrassed if THIS idea was pitched in the meetings. I'm more dumbfounded as to how this got green-lighted. After…..THAT, TNA still went on to continue the rivalry with Styles trying to get the tag titles. The rivalry barely concluded in December…..I think. It's actually possible for TNA to still continue this once Styles returns to television. I really hope that isn't the case. To be fair, Styles/Daniels put on good matches. Another positive about the rivalry was Daniels as a character. I felt he really grew into this role and I think this is one of the best years he's had in quite some time. Personally, I've always thought of Daniels as that guy who was a great wrestler, but was boring beyond anything else. Daniels really grew comfortable while cutting promos during this rivalry, and managed to finally show me he has a personality. So, at least there was a couple of good things about this rivalry, but I stand by my original thoughts. Congratulations on winning the Vince Russo Award, Styles and Daniels. Let's hope you don't try to repeat your performance.

And the bulls*** commences. In my view, it was a no-brainer in who I was gonna select, but the voting was a little more interesting. I can see why Tensai would win this award. After all, his character completely bombed and is working his way towards a pink slip. I bet he wishes he stayed in Japan. Brodus Clay, or the fat, dancing, dinosaur. Wasn't there another character similar to Brodus in my youth?

Oh, son of a bitch!!! I've talked about how much I can't stand the comedy pairing of EY/ODB. Can you really call them a comedy pairing? I don't find these two funny at all. I cannot stand it when they do a segment involving them. With all that said, why did I pick Garett Bischoff? Well, because he's awful. They were trying so hard to make Garett a key factor in the show. He even got guidance from Hulk Hogan and Kurt Angle at one point to make himself stand out. What has it accomplished? The man has a boring personality. In fact, I'm not even sure if you can classify THAT as personality. His in-ring skills are below average and he can't cut a promo if his life depended on it. The only reason he got to where he's at is because of his last name. Despite having a famous last name, it just proves that you aren't destined for greatness just because of your gene pool. Genetics doesn't work like that. Most of Garett's matches were below par and uninteresting. At least Tensai has put on some fair matches, which is a lot more than what I can say for Garett. You know you really suck when Kurt Angle can't even make you look good in the ring. There's no hope for you after that. There's no hope for anyone that witnessed a Garett Bischoff match. The horror!!!

And we go from worst character to worst match. Geeze, this is an endurance test for me. Why did I design it like this? Anyway, we had many choices for bad matches. I know people wanted to see things mentioned like Cena/Cole, Cena/Laurinaitis, or any diva match, but that's taking the easy way out. Of course matches like that aren't gonna be good, so I personally think those matches shouldn't even be acknowledged. I posted some interesting choices for this award. It was a close race, but you ultimately thought Bryan/Sheamus at WM was worse. Aw yes, the infamous 18 second match. When I first saw this match, I didn't like it either. Overtime, I changed my views on the match. I know a lot of people who cannot stand this match, but here's why I think this isn't the worst match of 2012. There was a lot of good that came out of this match. Think about it? Bryan was just starting to get over prior to WM. All of the sudden, he loses and his stock went through the roof because the fans grew attached to his catchphrase. It was a strange case where the loser of this 18 second match ended up getting more over than the guy who won. A lot of good came afterwords. Look where Bryan went after this rivalry. He started a pretty good program with CM Punk and eventually found his way towards Team Hell No. Plus, you cannot mention Bryan without talking about 'YES/NO'. The chat went global, which is really something. I know people will still hate this match at the end of the day, but I personally cannot hate it as much as others. My pick was almost gonna be Roode vs Sting. Come on, Sting knocked himself out. He knocked himself out!!! How stupid can you get when you're writing stuff like this? It sounds like something that would happen in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. At the end of the day, I thought the worst match of 2012 was Garett/Gunner. Say whatever you will about the 18 second match, but at least some good came out of it. NOTHING good came out of this. It was s*** from top to bottom. What did it accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Garett is doing nothing and Gunner has basically disappeared. Garett and Gunner aren't really interesting enough to go anywhere. It makes you wonder what creative saw in these guys in the first place. Not to mention that both guys have the combined personality of a styrofoam cup. Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Ric Flair were involved with this rivalry. How can you have names like this and have the rivalry/match turn out this bad? By doing this, apparently. I think I need a drink after this.

I think Part II of his look back is dedicated to the worst. It seems like that's all we're talking about. Well, its gotta get done. The TNA/Aces and Eights storyline is making a strong case for the worst of 2013 as well. It started off nice, but TNA has proven they cannot do slow buildup. They just tend to stop caring about polishing the storyline and eventually turn into crap. The entire concept of Aces and Eights has gone so far down that a plumber wouldn't know what to do about unclogging this mess. There's always a chance of it getting better, but it can be a challenge to be optimistic about it. Sheamus/Del Rio was mostly boring, but one thing I did like about the rivalry is they eventually got to a point where the rivalry wasn't too bad. They really brought more tension with this rivalry when Del Rio's car got in the picture. But like Aces and Eights, this storyline also suffered because it went on too long. AJ/Vickie……Oh God. Now we're getting into a new territory of awful. Everything was bad in this rivalry. The acting. The motives. The general direction of the show. It all screams bulls***. What was the purpose of this? Well, Dolph and AJ and now together. Huzzah? Vickie is calling the shots. Yippee? Despite all of that, I still think the Styles/Daniels rivalry was worse. It went on way longer than it should've and it introduced many mind-numbing ideas. Claire Lynch really had a hand in making this rivalry 'stand out'. The only positive about this rivalry was the matches. They were very good, but you basically had to turn off the storyline just so you can appreciate these matches. I mean, how well can you look at a match when there's a kayfabe baby involved? I think I'm done. I'm not gonna waste any more time on this rivalry. They all suck and you should feel bad for witnessing them…..

This goes to the guy who really had a big year or a comeback. I have to be honest. This was probably the hardest choice to make. I found that the three top guys in the voting were the overwhelming favorites with this award. Austin Aries had a big year in TNA. He set the record for holding the X Division title, which also made the X Division title mean something in TNA. Unfortunately, the title has gone back to meaning nothing since leaving for a bigger scene, but what can you do? He won the TNA World Title and had a decent reign. A bit disappointing since he took a backseat to Aces and Eights, but has gone better since turning heel again. I think from a TNA standpoint, he had the biggest climb in 2012. He is very deserving of this award, but so are Ryback and Bryan. Ryback showed us that he's gonna be a big deal with this company for years to come. I know a lot of people who don't like this guy, but he has the size and look to go far in the business. Unlike somebody like Ezekiel Jackson, Ryback is a musclebound guy that manages to show some charisma. Hey, at least he can click with the audience, which is more than what I can say about Zeke. We also have to keep in mind that Ryback went from an injured Skip Sheffield to this. That's a big jump. Despite these two picks, I personally have to go with Daniel Bryan. Even though he came into 2012 as the WHC, nobody really thought it would last very long. I thought he would end up a transitional champion, but I was proven wrong. What ended up happening is Bryan clicking with the audience. I've already explained that Bryan's YES/NO phenomenon really got him over, but it really did put him in a solid spot with the company. Somebody like Ryback probably would've gotten over in his own time, but Bryan becoming this popular is a little more surprising. I think Bryan is in a strong place with the company, which is something I never thought would've happened. That's personally why I picked Bryan for this award, but either of these three choices are more than worthy of winning this one.

Tag Team of the Year

My Choice: Isn't it obvious

Your Choice: Team Hell No-85%, Bad Influence-10%

This was the biggest landslide in the entire poll. There's no way you can argue against Team Hell No's success…..unless you hate WWE, Bryan, or Kane. Hey, I'm just saying. I've already talked about how much I appreciate Team Hell No for the entire year. It's the odd couple effect that makes this tag team work. Bryan and Kane have different personalities, which is what makes the comedy segments enjoyable. Not only that, but Team Hell No was a big contributing factor in WWE's resurrection of the tag division. In the past, I've talked about how tag team wrestling has been virtual nothing for well over a decade. Sure, there was something to hold you over in those years, but let's be honest here. It never truly felt like tag team wrestling was big or important. It was the undercard and nobody really cared about it. When I was growing up, one of my favorite things to watch from WCW or WWF was tag team wrestling. As a young adult, you can imagine my current disappointment when I look back on the last decade for this division. Yeah, it wasn't a pretty sight. Tag Team wrestling looks like it's finally back in the WWE and Team Hell No was the centerpiece of this division. We already had tag teams like Usos, and Prime Time Players, but also got Rhodes Scholars and Mexican Masks in the process. This has been the best tag team wrestling has looked in years. I think they could use a couple more tag teams for this division, but I don't think it's time to put it on panic mode. Hopefully in 2013, we continue to see the resurrection of tag wrestling and enjoy Team Hell No while it last.

We still have another seven categories to go over. Check back next week as we finally wrap this up. See you then.